Russia struggles to replenish Ukrainian troops as war drags on

Prisoners in the St. Petersburg penal colony expected a visit from an official, thinking it would be some sort of examination. Instead, men in uniform arrived and offered them a pardon — if they agreed to fight alongside the Russian army in Ukraine. In the days that followed, about a dozen people were released from prison, according to a woman serving in prison. Speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, she said her boyfriend was not among the applicants, but he "couldn't think about it" with years left on his sentence. said.

Russia continues to suffer losses in its invasion of Ukraine, now approaching six months, but the Kremlin is in full swing. Refuse to announce mobilization — a highly unpopular move for President Vladimir Putin. Instead, it has led to clandestine recruitment practices, such as using prisoners to fill staff shortages.

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This comes amid reports that hundreds of Russian soldiers are refusing to fight and are leaving the army. I'm here.

"We are witnessing a massive exodus of people who want to leave conflict zones, some of whom have been in the military for a long time, some of whom have recently signed contracts," he said. Lawyer Alexei Tabarov said. who runs the legal aid group at Conscript's School.

The group has been inundated with requests from men wanting to terminate their contracts. "And the Defense Department is digging deep to find someone it can persuade to serve."

appears to be doing everything possible to strengthen enlistment. Billboards and public transport ads in various regions proclaim "this is the job" and urge men to join the professional army. set up mobile recruitment centers in some cities, including

Advertised on state television . The economic daily Kommersant counted at least 40 such organizations in 20 regions, and the official promised that the volunteer's monthly salary would be equivalent to $2,150 to $5,500, plus bonuses. .

AP saw thousands of job openings on various military professional job search sites.

The British military announced this week that Russia had formed a major new ground force called the 3rd Corps from a "volunteer battalion". If they are deployed in Ukraine, they will be offered a lucrative cash bonus.

However, complaints have surfaced in the media that some people have not received their promised payments.

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In early August, Tabarov said he began receiving multiple requests for legal assistance from reservists ordered to participate in two-month training in areas near the border with Ukraine.

Vladimir Osekkin, founder of the Gulagu.net Prisoner's Rights Group, said prison recruitment has been taking place in seven regions he has been contacting in recent weeks. He cited prisoners and their relatives who had been killed.

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This is not the first time authorities have used such tactics. Second World War.

Russia is not alone. Early in the civil war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to grant amnesty to veterans behind prison if they volunteered, but it remains unclear if anything was gained from that.

In the current situation, Osekkin believes that it is not the Ministry of Defense that is recruiting prisoners, but Russia's shadowy civilian army. , said to be the Wagner Group.

Evgeny Prigozhin, known as "Putin's Chef" due to his catering deal with the Kremlin, is reportedly Wagner's manager and investor, but he recruits inmates He dismissed reports that he personally visited the prison for His representative of the month. In fact, Prigogine has denied any affiliation with Wagner, who reportedly sent military contractors to places like Syria and sub-Saharan Africa.

According to Osechkin, initially prisoners with military or law enforcement experience were offered to go to Ukraine, but it was later expanded to include prisoners of various backgrounds. As of late July, we estimated that about 1,500 people may have applied, enticed by the promise of a large salary and eventual pardon.

Many of his family members have reached out to him to try and break his promise, saying, "I really don't want to go," he added.

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A woman whose boyfriend is serving time in a St. Petersburg penal colony says her prison offer is her "little hope" of freedom. But she said he told her eight of the 11 volunteers had died in Ukraine, one of the volunteers regretting her decision and saying, She added that she did not believe he would come back alive.

Her account could not be independently verified, but was consistent with multiple reports by Russian independent media and human rights groups.

Some soldiers and law enforcement officers have refused to be sent to Ukraine or are trying to return home after weeks or months of fighting, according to lawyers for these groups and the military.

Media reports that some troops were refusing to fight in Ukraine began to surface in the spring, but human rights groups and lawyers began talking about the number of denials reaching the hundreds last month.

7 In mid-month, the Free Buryatia Foundation allowed about 150 men to terminate their contracts with the Ministry of Defense and return from Ukraine to the Republic of Buryatia, a region in eastern Siberia bordering Mongolia.

Some military personnel are affected. Tabarov, a legal aid lawyer, said about 80 other soldiers who had asked to have their contracts voided were detained in the Russian-controlled town of Bryanka in Luhansk province in eastern Ukraine, according to their relatives. rice field. Last week, the Bryanka detention center was closed due to media attention, he said.

But the parent of one of his police officers who was detained while trying to terminate his contract told the AP this week that others are also being held elsewhere in the area. Parents requested anonymity due to security concerns.

Tabarov said military personnel could terminate contracts for compelling reasons. Usually not difficult, but the decision is usually up to the commander. However, he added:

Alexandra Garmazapova, head of the Free Buryatia Foundation, told his Associated Press that soldiers and their relatives have threatened to destroy their dismissal notices and prosecute "the vetoes." He said he was. The foundation said it had received hundreds of requests from soldiers seeking termination of contracts as of late July.

"I get messages every day," Garmazhapova said. I was.

According to Tabarov, some soldiers complained that they had been lied about where they were going and that they did not expect to go to a war zone, while others went into battle. He said he was too tired to move on.

They seldom appeared to be motivated by anti-war beliefs, lawyers said. .

Russia will continue to face problems with soldiers refusing to fight, said military analyst Michael Coffman, but Russia's ability to "disrupt … in half-hearted ways"

"They're going to either quit a lot of people, or they're going to have people who are basically unwilling to go out," said the Russia-based Naval Center in Virginia. Coffman, director of the research program, said. Analysis in a recent podcast. "And they've taken many steps to keep people in line. But at the end of the day, there's not much they can do."